Mar. 10—OSKALOOSA — Data obtained from the Mahaska County E911 Center shows a sharp contrast to numbers previously cited in the conversation about putting the center under the supervision of local law enforcement agencies.

A statistic attributing 77% of the center's calls to city business has been part of the rationale behind both the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors and officials from the City of Oskaloosa, as they move toward placing the E911 center under The Oskaloosa Police Department's jurisdiction. If the E911 center came under the police department's jurisdiction, it would be under the supervision of Oskaloosa Chief of Police Ben Boeke.

That 77% statistic comes from an evaluation of Mahaska County Emergency Management Coordinator Jamey Robinson and the Mahaska County E911 Center. Resource Management Associates was hired by the City of Oskaloosa, in partnership with the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors, to conduct the evaluation. RMA used a geographical grid to analyze the call breakdown, basing its numbers on the location where the call was sent from.

Data from the center itself, obtained by the Oskaloosa Herald from a public records request, shows that the City of Oskaloosa accounts for less than half of the center's calls; a sharp contrast to the 77% reported by RMA and the 82% also cited by officials. The numbers provided by the center are based off of who was ultimately dispatched, a different methodology for arriving at a call-share statistic than was used in RMA's report.

In 2022, the center's call breakdown by entity shows that the City of Oskaloosa, including both the police department and the fire department, account for 49% of the center's calls, with the police department at 47% and the fire department at 1.7%.

Overall, the Oskaloosa Police Department was the largest user at 47%, followed by the Mahaska County Sheriff's Department at 38%, Mahaska Ambulance at 8%, the New Sharon Police Department at 3.4% and Oskaloosa Fire at 1.7%.

Joe Goemaat, of the Mahaska County Sheriff's Department, was the first to publicly question the number in RMA's report when he spoke at the board of supervisors' regular meeting Monday. Goemaat pointed out that by using a geographical grid to analyze calls, the report fails to account for sheriff's department business that occurs within Oskaloosa city limits.

Mahaska County Sheriff Russ Van Renterghem said the sheriff's department often conducts county business within the city limits of Oskaloosa. In RMA's report, the calls generated by these activities are considered "city calls," despite being county business conducted by the sheriff's office.

"We generate a lot of calls for service within the city limits of Oskaloosa," said Van Renterghem in conversation with the Herald. "That's part of the shared jurisdiction of Oskaloosa. We have a lot of paper services. We do sex offender registry compliance checks ... When myself or a deputy goes, just as an example, to the 500 block of First Avenue West on a compliance check, that's what we call out to our dispatchers. They generate a call for service that shows in the city limits, but it's actually a county case."

Van Renterghem said the Oskaloosa Police Department also supports the sheriff's department on county business. The overlap of the two agencies calls into question the use of a geographical grid for analyzing calls for service.

At their most recent meeting, the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors approved a motion to begin discussion with the City of Oskaloosa about placing the center under the jurisdiction of the Oskaloosa Police Department. Board members cited the statistic from RMA's report, previously used by city officials, that attributes 77% of the center's calls to City of Oskaloosa business, as part of their reasoning for placing the center under city control.

"Why not have the person who's really using the service run it the way it needs to be run?" said board member Steve Wanders.

Another reason the board gave for moving toward placing the Mahaska County E911 Center under city control, rather than putting it under the Mahaska County Sheriff Department's jurisdiction, was that the city has expressed interest in taking it over.

"Everyone was afforded the opportunity at the last EMA meeting ... if they wanted it. Oskaloosa's the one that spoke up," said Mark Groenendyk, chair of the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors.

Van Renterghem has concerns about appointing a city employee to oversee a county-wide service rather than an elected official with county-wide jurisdiction. He says he has reached out to the board of supervisors to express his interest in being considered to oversee the E911 center.

"I've certainly got nothing against Chief Boeke. I think he runs a fine department," Van Renterghem said. "My concern is this though: Of the two [police and sheriff] agencies, the only agency that has jurisdiction over the entire dispatching region is the sheriff's office. And obviously, the sheriff's office is run by an elected official. That's where we stand."

Goemaat raised similar concerns when he spoke to the board on Monday, saying that as a resident of New Sharon, he worries that placing the county-wide dispatching service under Oskaloosa's control would compromise the voice of taxpayers from smaller towns and rural communities.

Van Renterghem says he has requested a meeting with the board of supervisors twice to discuss his interest in having the E911 center under sheriff's department jurisdiction.

Channing Rucks can be reached at crucks@oskyherald.com.